Starting with Tuesday's taxi around Hancock Airfield, Semmel says they'll work up to actually taking off from the airport.

"[A] methodical, slow pace: walk before we run, to make sure that all aspects of the flying operations will be safe," he said. "And this is the logical first step, just start slow."

It will be another five months before such a flight takes place, Semmel estimates.

Launch and recovery of a drone from Hancock poses new challenges versus Fort Drum. The MQ-9 and its flight crew on the ground will now have to communicate with both civilian and military aircraft and traffic controllers.

"As we start flying operations, we will, again, small steps, work with the FAA to start just by flying in the local pattern," said Semmel. "What that would mean is just staying within a couple miles of the airfield here."

The drones that take off at Hancock will never carry weapons, Semmel said, and they won’t aim their powerful cameras at citizens.

The 174th converted from F-16 fighter jets to MQ-9s in 2009. They’ve been flying continuous support missions over Afghanistan. Semmel says their mission there is primary to provide aerial surveillance and they rarely fire missiles.